Snow
by June Whitfeild
Summary: OCxRemus. Set in Marauders Era. Rated T for some minor language and violence. Preface: "Remus!" She cried and placed her hands on either side of his face. Her eyes searched his and abruptly, he knew. Placing his hands over hers, he whispered, "We have to go." After and attack on Hogsmeade Remus finds his relationship with Ravenclaw Emma leaning towards more romantic intentions.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer; Harry Potter and the Wizarding world belong to J.K Rowling._

**Preface: The Death of Fifteen**

**It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.  
~J.K. Rowling, "The Cave," _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_, 2005,  
spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore**

"It's beautiful when it snows."

Remus found himself staring down at Emma as she spoke, watching her lips move and lashes flutter against pale skin and dark blue eyes. She had a rich, full voice that always held a tone of authority, and could demanded attention with her words without even realizing it. And he, who stood captive in her presence, found that he could not reply in fear of sounding slight. So in return he offered a smile, warm and tentative, not at all like the snow which was bitingly cold and unflinching. How she could find the beauty in something so unpleasant was beyond his comprehension.

The village of Hogsmeade was bustling with activity as the students of Hogwarts went about their mingling, but Remus was impartial to it all. His breath came out in wispy puffs against the frigid air, but hitched when she looked at him expectantly. Watching. Watching. What was she looking for? Those pools of deep blue seemed to bore into his amber. He hadn't a clue what to do and glanced past her a moment of internal panic, his heart racing. This reaction heightened when he saw the glint off the glasses of James Potter. The messy black haired boy came charging towards them; no grin or wry smile to be seen. Only panic to mimic. His brow furrowed in thought, as he had never seen his friend with such an expression on his face.

"Do you smell smoke?" Emma asked as Sirius emerged from a corner, running in the same manner as James. Remus was distracted as he looked back at her, but she was a few paces away, staring at a black cloud of smoke rising from the direction that his friends had come. As they neared, Sirius grabbed Emma by the wrist and pulled her along. Sudden anger seized Remus so that he almost trembled while he spoke.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" He roared, believing they had pulled a terrible prank.

"Death Eaters, run!" James yelled above the sudden loud booms that were sounding out behind them.

A deep terror settled itself into his core. He stood rooted on the spot, unable to think properly. His breathing accelerated as he turned and watched a building crumble and fall. Screams echoed in his ears. Terrible, soul shattering screams of people he probably knew. Warmth spread through him as Emma crashed into his side. She was panicked, quickly glancing in all directions as she pulled at him. He saw her lips moving but was deaf to what words she was yelling. Begging, pleading; her eyes watered as he stood, unmoving. He had never seen her this way either.

As if a dam had broken and water flooded through, did the sound peel in his ears. He became aware of the mass hysteria and Emma crying as she pulled at his dark brown coat. Recognition flashed across his scared face. She seemed to have picked up on this; her eyes widened and she tugged a little harder.

"Remus!" She cried and placed her hands on either side of his face. Her eyes searched his and abruptly, he knew. Placing his hands over hers, he whispered, "We have to go."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: One fine Morning

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. ~Steven Kloves (screenplay), _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_, 2004, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

Remus woke with a light pressure weighing down on his lower chest. A soft smile tugged at his lips as he let out a blissful and satisfied sigh. Snow was falling hard against the frosted window, chilling the air inside the room. Despite this, he was completely warm. Ever so carefully he wiggled his hand free from the soft red comforter and ran a few fingers though the chocolate locks of Emma Meade. Forgetting the events of yesterday evening, he squirmed to get further into the warm covers. The smell of a sweetened black tea and a hint of lavender lulled him; dragging his eyelids closed as he continued to stroke her silk hair.

They were all there, the Marauders, Lily, and the Meade sisters. Bundled under various blankets of red and blue alike they slumbered peacefully. The tragic and terrifying events of Hogsmeade had left fifteen students dead in the snow. If the great Albus Dumbledore hadn't shown…Remus shuddered at the thought of what worse aftermath would have ensued. They had returned to their dormitories, but had shared the same mind set of not wanting to be alone during the night. The Meade sisters had brought their own blankets and nightwear from Ravenclaw Tower, while James pushed the four beds in the room together.

Remus was in the middle, his arms wrapped around Emma as she dozed on his lower chest. Her younger sister Rene was on her other side, facing away from them. Her thick fluffy cat Socks, was curled in between the two girls, his head resting on Emma's neck. Sirius Black was located on the end, next to Rene. On Remus's other side, Lily and James were cuddled together.

He had laid awake for a few hours listening to the sounds of the castle last night; his mind still alert and searching for any signs of danger, though there was none there. Late in the night he had heard Emma and Sirius whispering. Mostly, their hushed conversation centered on Rene. Idle, meaningless talk to distract them until they eventually fell asleep, but effective none the less. He wiggled his way deeper into the warm cave of cloth, stopping when Emma gave a soft moan and readjusted; her head now higher on his chest.

"Emma." He murmured, to see if she was awake. No reply came, so he chanced another hand through her beautiful curls. The sound of different rhythmic breathing reached Remus's ears faintly. He turned his head towards Sirius, who was looking at him. Ironically, Sirius looked…well serious. A coy smile wormed its way onto Remus's face at such an absurd thought. The joke was always there, greatly used by the Marauders but seemed out of place in this moment.

"What are you smirking at?" Sirius whispered. It disappeared quickly and was replaced with a frown. Sirius eyed Emma's position and glanced back to his friend, his face unreadable and stony still from last night's events. This was disturbing to Remus, to see his friend in such a state. On a normal occasion he would be congratulating and encouraging the sandy haired boy, but he received no cheers at this time.

An unintelligent, "no," resounded from his mouth, causing a queer quirky smile to appear on his friend's face. Better, that was more like the Sirius that he knew. They lay there silently now. Smirks lining their faces as they mused at such a simple conversation.

"Remus?" The soft whisper came from Emma, whose pools of blue stared at him, watering. Both Remus and Sirius sat up; the black haired boy placing a gentle hand on her back as she crossed her legs to sit. Remus felt a strong focus, a will to be there for her and listen to every word she spoke. He didn't have too.

"Look, Emily, I know you're scared, but we swear- solemnly swear," He added with a kind smile, "that we won't let them get to you or Rene."

The boys locked eyes as Sirius pulled her closer to hug her from behind. Remus wasn't jealous of the action, he knew Sirius wasn't attracted to Emma that way, but he wasn't sure of her feelings for the womanizer. Sirius had his face buried in her neck, his long dark hair falling over his face handsomely. Her hand traveled to meet his cheek, rubbing it tenderly. Remus had seen them like this once before, when the group had decided to tell her about his furry little problem. It was unclear then, and now, who was comforting who.

Throughout the day the group scattered and reassembled frequently to take care of different needs. The Meade sisters went back to Ravenclaw tower during lunch. When Remus saw them again they were noticeably more proper looking. Not that he had minded the cute bedhead that Emma had adorned early in the morning. Rene's golden mane of hair was still slightly damp, but exquisitely braided; Emma's handiwork no doubt. She placed a tiny porcelain hand on her sister's coat as she led her to the tree that the boys were lounging under.

"Aren't you all freezing out here?" Emma asked as the duo approached.

Lazily, Sirius flicked snow off his trousers and stood from the frigid ground.

"No, we seem to be alright." He said. Remus took off his jacket and placed it around Rene's tiny frame. The first year gave a bright smile and a sneeze before sitting in James's lap.

"Maybe we shouldn't be outside." Peter remarked quietly.

"I agree. It just doesn't feel safe outside the castle." Emma added softly. Glancing at the ground ashamedly, Remus silently agreed, giving into his own fears. After a moment of morose silence between the friends, James stood.

"Back to the castle, then. Are you ladies staying the night in our room again?"

"I think we should probably return to our room tonight."

Rene clung to James's leg.

"Sissy, no!" She whined.

"Alright." Emma replied flatly. She gave in quickly, not wanting to be alone herself.

The group headed back to the castle in silence, Rene riding on James's back. They trotted up the dozens of stairs leading to the Gryffindor common room until they reached their destination and bolted up the stairs to the dorm. The sudden expense of energy sent them into higher spirits as they shoved and wrestled their way to the pushed together beds, throwing off socks and shoes and other accessories that limited their movement. Lying side by side they forgot their troubles and the terrible feeling that loomed over the castle. Their random joy lasted well into the night as they sought comfort and laughter from each other.

James had collapsed into a sleeping heap by two o' clock, and thirty minutes later Rene fallowed in suit. Soon, everyone had buckled and was in various sleeping positions. Remus watched as Emma's sleeping form moved up and down with each breath. He couldn't help but reflect on their first meeting.

_It had been early in the morning when the Marauders were headed to breakfast in the Great Hall. Their laughter echoed off the stone walls of the castle as Sirius made a joke about Snape. It was only their second year, but the feud had already escalated beyond what anybody expected. Remus rounded a corner, slightly ahead of the group and was immediately flattened when someone crashed right into him. Much to his horror, when he cleared his groggy head, two big blue eyes were staring back at him. And those two eyes belonged to a girl._

_There were noises from further down the hall as a forth year Slytherin boy appeared._

_"You! Meade! Get back here!" He barked. The girl looked as if she wanted to cry._

_"I'm sorry!" She wept. Remus wasn't sure if she was talking to him or to the older boy. She stood back up as the rest of the Marauders helped up a speechless Remus._

_"What's wrong?" Sirius asked her. By then the older boy had caught up to the group._

_"She spilt ink on my cloak!" He roared. "How stupid can you be?"_

_"It was an accident, I promise."_

_"Leave her be!" James snarled._

_"Yeah, you heard her. She didn't do it on purpose. Just remove it with magic!" Sirius added, backing up his friend. Luckily, the older boy was more reasonable than the majority of his house and after much grumbling, headed back to the library. The boys turned their attention to the girl. She was dressed in her school uniform with a blue and bronze striped tie._

_"Hey, come on. Don't cry. He's just a big jerk." Sirius said with a kind smile._

_"I'm James and this is Sirius."_

_"And I'm Peter!" The cubby boy squeaked. With a nudge from James, Remus remembered his manners and introduced himself to the girl._

_"My name is Remus, what's yours?"_

_"Emma." She sniveled. "I'm sorry I ran into you."_

_"That's alright."_

She had been their friend ever since, though they had been distanced because of being in separate houses. There was a time when they hardly talked at all, after Peter scared the poor girl off with his obsession. After Remus had found a collection of photos of Emma under the rat boy's bed one evening in their fourth year, it nearly ended their friendship. He had been appalled, enraged even, and while Peter desperately fumbled after him, Remus had ran straight to the girl and told her everything.

_"Peter's been stalking you!" He blurted out just as the other boy burst into the room after him._

_"You're a terrible friend!" He shrieked. Remus couldn't hide the hurt from those words but Emma intervened quickly._

_"No! He'd be a terrible friend if he hadn't told me. Peter what are all of these?" She motioned to the pictures, but the boy merely ripped them from her hands and dashed away._

Come to think of it…Peter had been strangely absent these past few days.

"Emma." Remus whispered sharply. He shook her awake. "Emma, where's Peter?"

Yawning, the girl turned over to face him. "Who knows? He's probably around here somewhere. Go back to sleep Remus." She said sleepily before cuddling up next to him. He smiled softly and welcomed her closer, hugging her to his chest as she drifted off to sleep. He too, then flowed into a deep slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

"Remus." Her voice floated to his ears delicately, enticing him from his slumber.

"Mmm, Emma." He moaned softly before hugging her closer to his body. There was a slight chill in the air that cooled his skin to an uncomfortable temperature. He craved the warmth that Emma provided and squished her against his stomach, determined to get the most heat that he could. And she smelled so nice…

"Remus." More sternly now. He ignored her tone and continued his little cuddle session, fervently. She wiggled around a little in his arms.

"Remus!" She squeaked, "I can't breathe!"

He opened his eyes quickly and released her, immediately spewing apologies. Remus mentally cursed himself for forgetting his own strength as he looked ashamedly at the lovely girl in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Emma." He said weakly. She graciously offered a warm smile as she rubbed her ribs gently. Her tiny fingers probed under her shirt for a minute until she was satisfied with her own analysis.

"QUIDDITCH TODAY!" Came the sudden roar of James as he jumped over Emma and onto the floor with a resounding thud.

"QUIDDITCH!" Shouted Sirius.

The young pureblood tumbled off the bed in a tangle of sheets causing laughter to erupt from Emma's lips. She tried to hide her smile with her hand as he looked at her sourly.

"It's only practice." Remus noted.

"Practice was canceled." The party jumped at the sudden interruption and looked to see who had spoiled their good spirits.

"Peter." Emma breathed.

Indeed, it was the sullen boy. He was leaning in the shadows of a corner, a sour look on his face. It was clear that he was brooding by his body stance. His chubby arms were folded over his chest in spite and he glared at all of them. Remus had seen him like this before, when he had told Emma about his obsession over her. But he seemed more sinister now, and very much unlike his normal awkward self.

"Hello, Emma." He began pleasantly.

"Where have you been, Pete?" Sirius asked cautiously.

"In the Hospital Wing!" He nearly shouted. Remus felt his stomach drop. They were terrible, terrible friends. "There were fifteen dead in the snow when that attack was over, and one injured! But no one even thought about him! And his friends didn't even notice he was gone!" He snarled viciously.

"They were too distracted by wily girls." He spat as he whipped his head to glare menacingly at Emma and Remus on the bed.

"And senseless games!" In anger, he knocked the quidditch gear, that James had brought out, to the ground.

Remus felt helpless. Peter had every right to be mad at the group, and even more reason to be mad at him. He had essentially torn any chance for any kind of relationship with Emma from him, while only deepening the connection between her and himself. And now Peter had been injured and he had been lying in bed with the girl, cuddling her to death. Merlin knows how long Peter had been standing there, watching them with contempt. He should have gone looking for him last night, and then maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

He stole a side glance at Emma, who was staring down at her hands and looking quite miserable herself. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders and hung slightly in her face. Normally, she would have brushed it back and tucked it behind her ear, but Remus could tell that it was helping to hide her shame.

Remus felt his shame grow deeper as he felt a slight tingling sensation on his lips when he looked at her. His face reddened when she glanced over at him.

"Look at yourselfs! Your egos are too big!" Peter screamed at the quidditch stars. "Harlot!" He snarled as he pointed a fat finger at the brunette.

Remus lifted himself quickly from the bed to defend her when Peter's murderous gaze locked onto him.

"And you! You've forgotten your place." He whispered. "Werewolf."

"Peter!" Emma gasped. She came to stand by Remus, and gently held onto his arm, hoping to comfort him. James made to throw Peter out but the plump boy fought against him as he continued to shout obscenities in a rage.

"You'll come to his aide but not to mine! You're all awful friends!" With a final heave, James pushed him out of the room and shut the door. Remus looked around the room at all the dejected faces of his friends. There wasn't anything to be said about the situation, and they all lapsed into silence.

Remus stared moodily at his oatmeal during breakfast. There was a stale and airy silence among the group as they quietly ate. His pensive mind was shrouded in misery as he repeated the word over and over in his head.

Werewolf.

Emma had always said that his condition didn't define him.

He didn't feel that way now.

He looked up from his meal and across the house tables to where she was sitting with Rene. The sunlight streaming from the windows gave her a glowing outline that only enhanced her beauty. Her usually dark brown hair was laced with ribbons of golden light that framed her face. She was celestial in that moment, with a peaceful smile gracing her features and lighting up his world. Emma was his light.

The owls started to stream into the Great Hall for the morning post. Dozens of flurries whisked past him in a fumble of feathers and chirps, disrupting his thoughts and gawking. A little ball of brown feathers and plumage landed on the table in front of him, knocking over his nearly depleted glass of pumpkin juice. He recognized it as Emma's owl, Pip. The tiny creature gave an awkward little screech as it turned its big yellow eyes to look up at the boy. Remus smiled and gently rubbed his index finger across the cheek of the animal. Pip gave another soft chirp before stealing a piece of bacon from his plate and dragging it to the end of the table. Without looking back at the laughing human, the bird dived off the end, spread its wings, and floated over to Emma who smiled kindly.

Remus watched in amusement as the tiny bird dropped the bacon off to the side and held its scrawny foot out for Emma. She quickly untied the red ribbon that was holding a strip of parchment, rolled around the leg, and gave the owl a treat. Unlike most of the other owls that students had, Pip was more of a companion than messenger. The handsome feathered friend worked his way up the girl's arm by side stepping until he reached her shoulder. Emma gave him a fond look before unraveling the parchment and engrossing herself in the message. Without fail, Pip craned his neck as if also reading the script.

"Hey, Remus. You wanna head to class?" James asked.

"Sure"

Potions for Emma was terrible. She had never been any good at it, and always seemed to mess up her partners hard work. She sat with her hands firmly clasped in her lap, as Hugo Pieske worked diligently on their Amortentia. The fellow Ravenclaw gave a soft smile when he glanced her way. As he added another ingredient, he stopped suddenly. Curiously, Emma peeked into the big brass cauldron and was hit with a dizzying wave of aroma. The light crisp scent of parchment and apples hit her first, causing a smile to erupt on her face. As she breathed deeper she could smell more woodsy odors that she recognized as the fresh mulch that her mom would lay out during the summer. And there was something else…

She glanced up a Hugo again who seemed to be in a daze as the shimmering spirals floated off the top of the cauldron and wafted to his nose. He was a very attractive boy, well built on strong morals and respect. He had the streamline yet powerful build of a Keeper, and a hard jaw line that made him look older. His golden blonde hair was trimmed neatly on the sides and back, but loose and slightly curly on top in sheik style that he managed daily. He held himself in a regal fashion and was blazing with a silent confidence that would shame the most proud of the Pureblood society. He could be called intimidating if it weren't for the kindness of his green eyes. The soft pools of emerald held the compassion of the world in them and brightened his face. He had a warm voice too, that invited everyone that heard it to listen.

"What do you smell, Hugo?" Emma asked after a moment.

"Your perfume." He said quickly. There was a still silence before he shook himself out of whatever daze had captured him and smiled. "Your perfume smells like the flowers that grow outside of my home."

"Oh. Is it done then?" She replied.

"Yes. Here, hand me that vial. I'll take some up to the professor." He offered. Quickly, Emma retrieved the vial and cork from the scattered tools and handed them to him. Wordlessly, he twirled his wand to manipulate a portion of the potion into it container, corked it, and left to turn it in. A moment later Slughorn's booming voice was congratulating the boy and roaring with misplaced laughter. Mixed people from both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff looked on jealously and admirably as he walked back to their table with a handsome smile on his face. He was the best in their class, but not in their year. It was well known that however much hated and despised Severus Snape was, he was undeniably the best at potions.

"Emma, please don't take offence to this," Hugo began as he sat down. "It's just that, you're not very good at potions." He said bluntly. Emma was about to open her mouth to speak when he cut her off.

"And I'd be happy to tutor you, if you wanted that is."

She smiled brightly at this.

"But there's a catch. You have to come to my quidditch games to cheer me on." He smiled charmingly.

"Of course. Thank you so much!" She beamed and threw her arms around him quickly right as they were dismissed for their next class.


End file.
